


Warm Hands

by DecadentCollectionDestiny



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Forehead Kisses, Forehead Touching, Holding Hands, M/M, No Spoilers, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, assassin's creed Valhalla - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-19 04:22:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29993823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DecadentCollectionDestiny/pseuds/DecadentCollectionDestiny
Summary: Watching Tarben do what he loves makes Eivor smile. And having Eivor there beside him while he bakes his bread makes Tarben smile.
Relationships: Eivor/Tarben (Assassin's Creed)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 25





	Warm Hands

**Author's Note:**

> (Gender neutral Eivor so Eivor can be either male or female)

“You see, the key to a perfect loaf of bread is to ensure that all of the ingredients work in harmony with each other,” explained Tarben as he mixed together the flour, water, salt, and yeast. Eivor sat on a crate next to Tarben’s worktable, watching. “Each component must be added in proportion to the others.”

“You’ve had a lot of practice,” said Eivor. “Do you ever botch that proportion?”

“Not as often as I used to.” Tarben chuckled. “When I was but a novice baker, I would measure out each ingredient with the steady hand of a tattoo artist and the careful eye of a hawk, and my bread would still turn out too dry or too dense or too flat. I’ve since embraced that baking is as much an art as it is a science. And now, as you said, after years of practice, why, I believe I could make a proper dough with my eyes shut.”

Tarben dumped the mixture out of the bowl onto the table. “And thus, the ingredients come together as one.” He looked over at Eivor and smiled. “This is my favorite part.” He began to knead the dough, turning it over in his bare hands, pushing it away from him with the heel of his palm, and folding it over to start again. “My favorite, but also one of the most important parts,” Tarben continued. “A good knead is crucial to the success of your bread. Too little kneading and your loaf won’t rise during baking. Too much and your dough will become tough. The aim is to hit the perfect middleground.”

Eivor stood up to take a step closer and watched silently, a small smile slowly spreading across the drengr’s lips.

“I will confess that what makes the kneading my favorite part of the process is getting to feel the dough,” Tarben admitted. “Ever since I was a child, I’ve always loved the feeling of fresh bread dough in my hands.” The baker grinned as he pressed his fingers into the soft, springy surface. “It’s remarkable that, after just a little bit of time and some heat, this will become the bread that feeds the clan.”

Although his eyes were on the dough, Eivor’s were on him. “It has such an interesting feel,” Tarben observed. “I have yet to grow out of finding pleasure in the sensation.” He reached out a hand to Eivor. “Here. You will see what I mean.” Eivor took it. 

It was then that Tarben happened to look up and notice Eivor gazing at him in contentment. “What?” he asked, Eivor’s hand still in his own.

Eivor’s eyebrows raised. “Nothing.”

Tarben looked uneasy. “Did I… say something?”

“No, not at all,” Eivor replied. “It’s just such a pleasure for me to hear you talk so passionately about something you love so much.”

The anxious expression melted off of Tarben’s face and he smiled. “And it’s such a pleasure for  _ me _ to have someone who will listen to such rambling.” He gently pulled Eivor closer to him. “Especially when that someone is someone I love just as much or even more than what I’m rambling about.”

Tarben’s soft expression rubbed off on Eivor. “Oh, stop it,” Eivor said, rubbing a thumb across Tarben’s hand.

“Never.” Eivor’s hand received a squeeze that prompted a sigh. 

“Your hands are not unlike the bread you so lovingly bake.” Eivor’s fingers interlaced with Tarben’s. “Warm, soft, and comforting.”

Tarben enveloped Eivor’s calloused hands in his own. “They’ll always be here,” he said. “Baking you bread, stoking your fire, reaching out for you when you come home.” The foreheads of the baker and the vikingr touched. “And keeping yours warm whenever you need them to.”

“Your hands are always the first mine look for as soon as I land in Ravensthorpe,” said Eivor. “They hurry to meet yours.”

“And when they do, it’s a relief for me, to feel your touch after time spent apart. Because I do worry for you when you are away, Eivor Wolf-Kissed.”

“Ah, you forget, love. There are no wolves here. When I am with you, I am Eivor Tarben-Kissed.”

Eivor and Tarben’s smiling lips met, lingering for a few moments. 

“And it is a title I hold dear in my heart.”

Tarben’s smile grew wider behind his mustache. “You’ve no idea how happy it makes me to hear that.” He kissed Eivor’s forehead. “Now,” he said. “Would you like to learn how to knead dough?”

Eivor nodded. “I would like that very much.”

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, can I just say Tarben is the sweetest and most wholesome character I have ever met in my entire time playing Assassin's Creed?! He's so precious and I love him and Eivor together, male or female Eivor, I don't care. There was just not enough fluff of him on here so I had to fix that. You're welcome.


End file.
